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This listing contains all the analytical materials posted on the Russia Matters website. These include: RM Exclusives, commissioned by Russia Matters exclusively for this website; Recommended Reads, deemed particularly noteworthy by our editorial team; Partner Posts, originally published by our partners elsewhere; and Future Policy Leaders, pieces by promising young scholars and policy thinkers. Content can be filtered by genre and subject-specific criteria and is updated often. Gradually we will be adding older Recommended Reads and Partner Posts dating back as far as 2011.

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New Document Consolidates Russia’s Nuclear Policy in One Place

Olga OlikerJune 04, 2020
RM Exclusives

Russia’s new nuclear deterrence strategy document confirms that its policy is not “escalate to de-escalate,” but the document isn't likely to put the debate to rest.

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The Risks of Autonomous Weapons Systems for Crisis Stability and Conflict Escalation in Future US-Russia Confrontations

Burgess LairdJune 02, 2020
RM Exclusives

Autonomous weapons systems could foster crisis instability, conflict escalation in contests between the U.S. and Russia in multiple ways. Policymakers must consider if the putative advantages of such systems are worth the potential risks they may raise.

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Khodorkovsky Marks the Spot: Russia’s Turning Point From Economic Freedom to State Control

Sergei GurievMay 28, 2020
RM Exclusives

Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s sentencing 15 years ago this month signaled the end of Russia's market reforms and the beginning of ever-increasing state control.

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Russia and Collective Security: Why CSTO Is No Match for Warsaw Pact

Dmitry GorenburgMay 27, 2020
RM Exclusives

The CSTO is too organizationally weak and insufficiently integrated to serve as a capability multiplier for its members, and the weakness of other member states' military forces make them of limited value to Russia as military allies.

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book review

The Dark Arts of Disinformation Through a Historical Lens

Arthur MartirosyanMay 20, 2020
RM Exclusives

Understanding the fantastic past of disinformation is key to deciphering the present, argues Thomas Rid in his pioneering analysis of modern disinformation warfare from a historical perspective.

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Is Ukraine a Hub for International White Supremacist Fighters?

Huseyn AliyevMay 13, 2020
RM Exclusives

Has Ukraine become a training hub for white supremacists on either side of the conflict?

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Kto-Kogo: Putin vs. COVID-19

Thomas GrahamMay 07, 2020
RM Exclusives

Some believe the pandemic and the oil price collapse will erode the Russian president's power or end his presidency. But with the skill he has shown, and the luck that has favored him for 20 years, he could emerge from this crisis even stronger.

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explainer

Who ‘Defeated’ ISIS? An Analysis of US and Russian Contributions

Domitilla SagramosoMay 06, 2020
RM Exclusives

There can be little doubt that the U.S. and its allies played a much bigger role in subduing the terror group than Russia. But ISIS has plenty of life in it yet and any alleged victory is fragile.

A recent history of fighting tuberculosis may give Russia an edge in combating the coronavirus, but an imperfectly reformed health system and a legacy of inadequate and unevenly distributed medical facilities may hinder it.

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Don’t Bet on Reset: US-Russian Relations in the Wake of the Coronavirus

Nikolas K. GvosdevApril 22, 2020
RM Exclusives

By offering himself as an ally to the Trump administration during the crisis, Putin hopes to achieve a long-elusive breakthrough with the U.S. But actions on both sides make the prospect of a 2020 reset unlikely.

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issue brief

Maintaining Nuclear Safety and Security During the COVID-19 Crisis

How are nuclear organizations coping with COVID-19 and what strategies seem to best ensure the safety and security of their operations? Responses have varied around the world, but already some lessons may be inferred.

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Russia Is Well-Positioned to Weather COVID-19's Economic Fallout

Chris Weafer April 09, 2020
RM Exclusives

While Russia should be able to ride through the combination of the coronavirus and lower oil receipts without a crisis, Putin's ambitious growth promises may suffer.